FAQs on Diversity

This section will provide you with information on frequently asked questions regarding diversity.

Q. What is diversity?
A. Diversity is a commitment to recognizing and appreciating the unique beliefs, values, skills, attributes, and characteristics of all individuals in an environment that promotes and celebrates individual and collective achievement.

Q. Why should I be concerned with diversity issues?
A. When individuals have problems relating to each other because of their differences, morale declines and productivity suffers. These problems can be overcome by respecting and valuing differences.

Q. How does diversity help the University achieve its goals?
A. Recognizing and appreciating diverse perspectives leads to more flexibility, more productivity, more creative problem-solving, better decision-making, and an enhanced ability to meet the needs of a multi-faceted employee, student, and community.

Q. Does the campus provide diversity training?
A. To find out about SSU diversity education programs, click here.

Q. Do all differences matter? What if I'm not in a 'diverse' area?
A. The relevance of differences varies depending on the context, situation and country. For example, individuals could be of the same ethnicity and gender, yet their education, age and family status may differ significantly. These dissimilarities may impact how the individuals relate to one another. Two very important principles of diversity are that we do not exclude people based on differences and that we do not allow differences to adversely impact our business decisions.

Q. How does the broad definition affect us as a student and faculty/staff members?
A. The broad definition includes all of us. It recognizes that we all have differences and similarities. Some of those differences are obvious some not so obvious. Some hold more importance to us than others. The intent is to help us understand and remove barriers that any of us may face due to our differences, and to leverage the advantages our diversity offers.

Q. What is required of managers regarding diversity?
A. Every manager is responsible for creating a workplace that is supportive of employees and allows them the opportunity to succeed to the full extent of their potential. Managers must educate themselves about diversity and combine that knowledge with good management practices to ensure excellence in recruiting, developing, promoting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce.